The present invention relates to an Internet-based financial service that, unlike current systems, may be accessed by anyone with a personal computer having an Internet connection. This disclosed system exceeds current standards for online banking (Open Financial Exchange) and is set to meet or exceed anticipated revisions. In a typical debt resolution application of the disclosed system, the credit or collection company customer (the debtor) can participate in web-based financial transactions without previously establishing a personal online banking system. Initially, the credit or collection organization invites the debtor to utilize applicant's web-based customer service software by offering Internet payment as an option to traditional payment methods such as mail or telephonic credit card transactions. For example, the mailed copy of a “past due” notice invites the debtor to visit the creditor's web-based “transaction community”—an interactive alternative location for debt resolution.
The WorldWide Web, or Internet, is actually a complex “web” of smaller regional networks. It is comparable in many ways to our roadways. A network of interstate superhighways connect large cities. These highways flow into smaller freeways and parkways linking smaller towns to the big cities. The parkways ultimately connect to slower, narrower residential streets. See EFF's Extended Guide to the Internet, incorporated herein by reference.
In the world of computers, the “superhighway” is the high-speed Internet. Connected to the Internet are computers that use a particular system of transferring data at high speeds. In the United States, the major Internet “backbone” theoretically can move data at rates of 45 million bits per second. By way of comparison, the average home modem has a top speed of roughly 14,400 to 56,000 bits per second. This inter-Internetworking “protocol” allows a network user to connect and link up with computers around the world.
Smaller networks serving particular geographic regions are connected to the backbone computers, which generally move data at speeds around 1.5 million bits per second. These networks are hooked to even smaller networks and individual computers. Unlike commercial networks, a central computer does not run the Internet. This is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. This approach means it is virtually impossible for the entire Internet to crash at once—even if one computer shuts down, the rest of the network stays up. This design also reduces the costs associated with an individual or organization accessing the Internet through a network. However, thousands of connected computers can also make it difficult to navigate the Internet and find what you want—especially as different computers may have different commands for “plumbing” or accessing their resources. Only recently have Internet users begun to develop the navigational tools and “maps” that allow neophytes and relatively inexperienced users get around and navigate the Internet without getting lost.
The number of users, computers, and networks making up this Internet is not known with any degree of certainty. Some estimates place as many as 5,000 networks, connecting nearly 2 million computers and more than 15 million people around the world as the Internet. Whatever the actual numbers, they are increasing rapidly.
The Internet is more than just a technological marvel. It is a revolutionary means of communication. The rate at which information and documents are exchanged is obviously quite a bit faster than mail, as messages race around the globe in seconds, provided you have the right connection. Network providers are therefore continually working on ways to facilitate communication between users of one network with those of another. At present, work is underway on a universal “white pages” in which you could look up somebody's electronic-mail address. This “connectivity” will become even more important in coming years as users begin to demand “seamless” network access, much as a telephone user can dial almost anywhere in the world without thinking about the number of phone companies actually involved with the call. As it becomes easier to use, more and more people will undoubtedly join this worldwide community known as the Internet.
While the present invention will have broad application to the full range of online financial transactions, particular applicability is seen in the area of credit and collection practices. The credit and collection arenas are segmented into distinct market niches. The first niche comprises, for instance, collection organizations. The collection industry is further defined by type of debts collected (consumer vs. commercial) and then by the placement of various debts by and within the various industries.
Credit transactions (e.g., loans, credit cards, etc.) provide an additional immediate niche for the invention as disclosed. The “transaction community” of the present invention allows for customization to address the various transaction niches required within the various credit and collection communities. In other words, the invention may be adapted to handle almost any credit or collection transaction.
The debt collection industry is consolidating. The May 1996 issue of Collection & Credit Risk Magazines Annual Report notes that: “[a]lready the number of collection agencies has fallen by some 20% in the past two decades.” Additionally, mergers-and-acquisitions specialist M. Kaulkin and Associates, of Bethesda, Md., reports that industry insiders expect another 15% to 20% decrease and further consolidation: “[t]he signs of an ongoing consolidation in the collections industry are unmistakable. In fact, as measured by placements, the 10 largest agencies in the country have increased their market share from about 15% in 1992 to 42.1% last year.”
Over the years, debt collection has evolved as a function of available technology and its utilization. There was a time when a collection agent would personally visit the debtor for debt resolution. Mail allowed the creditor and debtor to communicate through a series of “dunning” letters to prompt debt resolution. With the advent of the telephone, the creditor and debtor were able to facilitate debt resolution. Of course, while far less costly than personal visits, mail and phone collections are expensive operations, lowering the profitability of the debt collection process.
Computers have long been used in debt collections, initially with respect to the maintenance of debtor records through database consolidation and utilization. More recently, advances include computer telephony and predictive dialers, which have increased efficiency and lowered time, energy, and cost expended in debt collection via the telephone. The present invention is a leap forward in the use of technology in the debt collection industry. In applicant's system, the creditor invites and encourages the debtor to communicate and resolve debts on the personal computer over the Internet. It should be noted that all previous technological advances in this field have been used to increase creditor yield while reducing expenses. Times have changed. Increased competition for consumer dollars has changed the creditor/debtor relationship into a customer service relationship. Creditors now compete to retain and attract customers by offering customer service. The present invention accelerates this trend by allowing credit or collection organizations to offer competitive customer service while also increasing yield and decreasing expenses by providing a method that gives customers the ability to resolve debt through a web-based “transaction community”.
Not surprisingly, there are a number of prior references that teach various methods of bill payment and management.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,501, issued to Lawlor, et al., discloses a system and method for the remote distribution of financial services (e.g., home banking and bill-paying) which includes providing a portable computer terminal to a user. The terminal may include a multi-line display, keys “pointer to” lines on the display, and additional function keys. The terminal establishes contact between a central computer that is operated by a service provider, preferably over an analog telephone line, and a packeted data network software bundle. Information is exchanged between the central computer and a terminal that solicits particular information from the user relating to requested financial services. For example, to pay a bill the payee approves the amount and provides his bank account PIN (personal identification number). The central computer would then transmit a response message over a conventional electronic Automatic Teller Machine (“ATM”) network for debiting the user's bank account in real time, and then electronically remitting payment to the specified payees in the specified amounts. Additionally, payment(s) and/or transfer(s) may be further scheduled in advance or on a periodic basis. Because the central or main computer interacts with the user's bank as a standard point of sale (“POS”) or ATM network node, no significant software changes are required at the bank's computers. The terminal interface tries to be user-friendly in incorporating some of the features of standard ATMs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,113, issued to Kight, et al., discloses a computerized payment system by which a consumer may instruct a service provider via telephone, computer, or other telecommunications means to pay various bills without the consumer having to write individual checks for each bill. The system essentially operates without restriction as to where the consumer banks and what bills are to be paid. Essentially, the service provider collects consumer information, financial institution information and merchant information and arranges payment according to the consumer's instructions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,206, issued to Hilt, et al., discloses a bill pay system wherein participating consumers may pay bills to participating creditors through a payment network. The participating consumers receive bills from participating creditors (paper bills, e-mail, implied bills from automatic debts) which indicate an amount and biller identification number. To authorize a remittance, a consumer transmits to a participating bank a payment notice that indicates a payment date, an amount, the debtor's account, the source from which the funds are to be remitted and the biller's identification number. A bank then submits a payment “message” to the subscribed payment network and forwards the payment message to the biller's bank. For settlement, the debtor's bank debits the consumer's account and likewise, the creditor's bank receives a Internet position from the payment network and credits the creditor's bank account. If the debtors's bank agrees to send a non-reversible payment message, then the debtor's bank does not submit the transaction until funds are good unless the consumer's bank is willing to take the risk of loss as would be in the case in a guaranteed payment network. In specific embodiments, the consumer initiates the bill pay orders manually, via paper at an ATM, via PC, or via telephone keypad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,445, issued to Pickering, discloses an automated system and method for consolidating a plurality of individual company charges for a customer with different periodic company billing and payment due dates. Under the system, companies and businesses such as utility companies would report periodic billing information to a central processing facility. This transfer is completed by electronic or magnetic data transfer. The processing office undergoes minimal processing and “holds” the billing information data until all of the billing information is received. Then, the central facility generates a single customer statement which identifies individual company charges and the statement due date. The statement is then sent to the customer with payment for the charges by the due date. After receiving payment from the customer, the system processes the payment and remits payment to the companies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,677, issued to Pollin, discloses a system and method of collecting payments using an automated system to generate a draft, payable to the creditor and drawn on the payor's checking account, pursuant to payor's authorization. The draft is executed by the debt collector as authorized signatory for the payor, and deposited into the payee's account. The automated system has a simple input screen that receives the necessary information for generation of the draft, which may be read to the system operator over the telephone by the authorizing payor. The system verifies the account information, comparing the input information to records in a database associated with the system. Optionally, the system may also generate an “inquiry” to the bank to determine the funds availability. When verification is complete, the system generates a paper draft payable to the payor, which may use an MICR ink so that the draft can be processed in the banking system like an ordinary check. The signature block would then be made for the collection agent “as authorized signatory for” the payor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,640, issued to Burke, discloses an automatic donation system for a sales establishment including an entry arrangement for entering the price of a product into a cash register, the amount of cash being paid and a calculator for determining excess cash payment(s). A card reader keypad receives a card(s) number for accessing data and then prints out the amounts entered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,662, issued to McIntosh, discloses a method and system for extracting revenue information from a point-of-sale (POS) terminal for purposes of revenue sharing that includes the steps of periodically selecting and extracting predetermined portions of data from a proprietary database. This system allows for extrapolation of select data relating to revenue traffic in a rental system. Revenue stored in a proprietary database by a proprietary POS operating program is periodically selected, extracted and stored in a periodic database. The proprietary POS operating program can be used to create a history report database from the revenue transaction data and the portions of the revenue transaction data can be selected and extracted from the history report database.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,727, issued to Atkins, discloses a communication and computer based system for effecting exchange, investment and borrowing, involving the use of digital communication and computation terminals distributed to users and service providers. Through the system described and its combined computer and communication terminals, client/customers may purchase goods and services, save, invest, track bonuses and rebates and effect enhanced personal financial analysis, planning, management and record keeping with less effort and increased convenience. Through a prioritization function, the client specifies her financial objectives, her risk preference, and budgetary constraints. The prioritization function automatically suggests to the individual a portfolio of asset and liability accounts that may be credited and/or debited to provide the required funds for consumption and to form investments and borrowing to best realize the financial objectives. If desired, the system automatically manages a client's budgetary and financial affairs through a system of expert sweeps based on a client's preferences. The client's accounts are monitored via a borrowing power baseline, and considered imbalanced if the client's borrowing power is less than the minimum borrowing power. If the account is imbalanced, the client may then reallocate the assets and liabilities within the client account and/or modify a set of constraints on the client account. If the client account is still not balanced after modification of the account, the system will deny authorization for certain requested transactions, and may initiate the liquidation of certain asset accounts and reduce the balances of one or more liability accounts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,117, issued to Landry, discloses a system and method for paying bills without requiring interaction with the payors. The system includes a payor control interface, a communications interface, a bill generator, and a TCF message generator. The bill generator generates bill records from the payor and payee information and from bill data messages received from payees. The generated records are used by the TCF message generator to generate the EFT messages for transferring funds electronically between payors and payees. Payors may alter the payment amount and date for a bill as well as reverse payment of a bill already paid. Payees are also able to alter recurring bill records or may present bill data so that bill records reflecting variable obligation amounts may be generated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,786, issued to Rogers, discloses a method and apparatus for processing payment transactions using debit card numbers without the requirement of a personal identification number (PIN). A telepay system of the present invention provides an interface between a standard touch-tone telephone and at least one debit card network such that real-time bill payment transactions may be effected using a keypad of the telephone. The telepay system includes an interactive voice response unit for prompting a payor to enter an access code, account number, debit card number and payment amount and for informing the user of the status of the transaction. Real-time processing of transactions is provided through use of debit card networks, rather than the Automated Clearing House. The telepay system is also capable of performing settlement functions and processing inquiries by payees of the system regarding previously processed transactions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,008, issued to Futch, et al., discloses a system and method whereby a multiplicity of users may perform a variety of transactions, such as a product/service request, a bill payment request and long distance telephone service, through a system operator. The system includes a plurality of telephone instruments respectively having a telephone identifier and a wallet card swipe reader or the like for inputting a user identifier. A plurality of user actuators, such as individual buttons, are located on the telephone instrument to initiate a request for a particular transaction. A system processor in communication with the telephone instrument determines which type of transaction is being requested and determines whether the request is valid. Preferably, the validity check is completely performed at a computer having a validity table in its memory corresponding to the particular telephone instrument. The computer stores all transaction requests accrued over a period of time in its memory and forwards them to a central computer at a predetermined regular time. The central computer then correlates the transaction request with complete information in its database to carry out the transaction as requested.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,089, issued to Bucci, discloses that analysis has revealed that there is an undue proliferation of first-class mail being sent each month in the nature of bills, statements and similar such documents. Analysis has also revealed that this produces an unnecessary expense for postage and processing, besides the costs involved in purchasing the paper and envelopes to begin with. The method of the invention avoids this through the single mailing of one or more two-sided documents on which is presented all the bills, statements, etc., intended for a given recipient during a specified period of time, for all subscribers to the service. In accordance with the described embodiment of the invention, the method forms a computer database of addressee information; merges with that database all such record information provided by subscribers; prints out one or more sheets, preferably on both sides, of all information intended for designated recipients during the time period in question; and allows for a single mailing of such sheets in a single envelope.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,965, issued to Pickering, discloses an automated method and system for consolidating a plurality of individual company charges for a customer with different periodic company billing and payment due dates. Under the system, companies and businesses such as utility companies report their periodic billing information to a central processing office or facility. The processing office holds the billing information data until all of the billing information for the customer during a pre-selected time period is received. Then, the central processing facility generates a single customer statement which identifies all individual company charges as well as a statement due date. The statement is sent to the customer and payment for the charges due. After receiving payment from the customer, the centralized billing center processes the payment and then remits payment to all of the companies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,906, issued to Peters, et al., discloses an integrated computerized system and method of telecommunication user account management. The invention creates, maintains, processes and analyzes data regarding individual users for telecommunication services. Billing for individual users is generated. The user data is analyzed and reports for all or part of the user data are prepared and generated. Ancillary functions are enabled, including word processing, editing, e-mail, and other functions. The invention is applicable to subscriber telecommunication services, and pay-for-use services, and the user may be a subscriber or a non-subscriber. The invention is applicable to multi- or single-channel telecommunication services. Such telecommunication services may include cable television, telephone, video, audio, on-line databases, television, radio, music video, video juke box, pay-for-view, video-on-demand, interactive TV, home-shopping, video conferences, telephone conferences, interfacing to imaging systems, and automatic telephone call charge-backs (“900” numbers). The current preferred embodiment of the invention is for cable television services subscriber account management.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,528, issued to Hogan, discloses a bill delivery payment system in which users are able to access a server computer on a communications network to obtain bill information and pay bills. For example, such a communications network may be the Internet. Using a personal computer, a user can access a Web site provided by the server computer to view the bill information and instruct the server computer as to the details of the bill payment. In a second embodiment, without visiting the web site, users are provided with electronic bills containing bill information in the form of electronic mail (e-mail) at their e-mail addresses. After opening an electronic bill, a user can make the bill payment by replying to the electronic bill.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,887, issued to Chelliah, et al., discloses a system for facilitating commercial transactions, between a plurality of customers and at least one supplier of items over a computer driven network capable of providing communications between the supplier and at least one customer site associated with each customer. Each site includes an associated display and an input device through which the customer can input information into the system. At least one supplier is presented on the display for selection by the customer using the input device. Similarly items from a supplier can be displayed for the customer to observe. In addition, a customer information database stores information relating to the customer. Associated with each customer is a customer monitoring object for each customer. The customer monitoring object is created by referencing information, relating to that customer, which had been stored in the customer information database and when the customer selects a supplier. The customer monitoring object is configured to operate by responding to customer inquiries regarding a presented item by retrieving information relating to the item and presenting the information to the customer; receiving a customer's selection of a presented item; receiving customer communications, indicating a desire to receive the item; and passing a communication to initiate the delivery of the item to the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,298, issued to Rogers, discloses processing payment transactions using debit card numbers without the requirement of a personal identification number (PIN). A telepay system provides an interface between a standard touch-tone telephone and at least one debit card network such that real-time bill payment transactions may be effected using a keypad of the telephone. The telepay system includes an interactive voice response unit for prompting a payor to enter an access code, account number, debit card number and payment amount and for informing the user of the status of the transaction. Real-time processing of transactions is provided through use of debit card networks, rather than the Automated Clearing House. The telepay system is also capable of performing settlement functions and processing inquiries by payees of the system regarding previously processed transactions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,399, issued to Bezos, discloses a system for securely indicating to a customer one or more credit card numbers that a merchant has on file for the customer when communicating with the customer over a non-secure network. The merchant sends a message to the customer that contains only a portion of each of the credit card numbers that are on file with the merchant. Then a computer retrieves the credit card numbers by reference on file for the customer in a database, constructs the message, and transmits the message to a customer location (10) over the Internet network (30) or other non-secure network. The customer can then confirm in a return message that a specific one of the credit card numbers on file with the merchant should be used in charging a transaction. Since only a portion of the credit card number(s) are included in any message transmitted, a third party cannot discover the customer's complete credit card number(s).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,512, issued to Dedrick, discloses a method for providing electronic advertisements to end users in a consumer best-fit pricing manner including an index database, a user profile database, and a consumer scale matching process. The index database provides storage space for the titles of electronic advertisements. The user profile database provides storage for a set of characteristics that correspond to individual end users of the apparatus. The consumer scale matching process is coupled to the content database and the user profile database and compares the characteristics of the individual end users with a consumer scale associated with the electronic advertisement. The apparatus then charges a fee to the advertiser, based on the comparison by the matching process. In one embodiment, a consumer scale is generated for each of multiple electronic advertisements. These advertisements are then transferred to multiple yellow page servers, and the titles associated with the advertisements are subsequently transferred to multiple metering servers. At the metering servers, a determination is made as to where the characteristics of the end users served by each of the metering servers fall on the consumer scale. The higher the characteristics of the end users served by a particular metering server fall, the higher the fee charged to the advertiser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,584, issued to Peters, et al., discloses a system for processing a batch which is distributed into a plurality of independent segments. A preferred embodiment of this invention calls for implementation on a symmetrical multiprocessing platform, however, the invention is also applicable to massively parallel architectures as well as uniprocessor environments. Each segment comprises a plurality of discrete events, each discrete event comprising a plurality of sub-events to be processed. The system operates to process each discrete event within each segment sequentially and each sub-event within each discrete event sequentially. The plurality of segments may be processed on an uniprocessor, an SMP system or an MPP system. By balancing the number of discrete events in each segment using a “coarse grain” approach, a flexible but efficient use of processor availability is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,249, issued to Pollin, discloses a system and method of collecting payments comprising an automated system to generate a draft, payable to the creditor and drawn on the payor's checking account, pursuant to the payor's authorization. The draft is then executed by the debt collector as authorized signatory for the payor, and deposited into the payee's account to complete payment. The automated system has a simple input screen that receives the necessary information for generation of the draft, which may be read to the system operator over the telephone by the authorizing payor. The system verifies the bank and account information by comparing the input information to records in a database associated with the system. Optionally, the system may also generate an inquiry to the bank to determine the availability of funds in the payor's account. When verification is complete, the system generates a paper bank draft payable to the payor, using MICR ink so that the draft can be processed in the banking system like an ordinary check. The signature block of the draft is made for the collection agent “as authorized signatory for” the payor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,594, issued to Klingman, discloses a remote communication system for facilitating secure electronic purchases of goods on-line, wherein a suitable local user input device in association with a data transmission system couples the user input into a packet network system for communication to a remote receiver/decoder apparatus to try a potentially desired product. Upon selection of the desired product by the user, a telecom network link is used to communicate a telephone number associated with the desired product from the user to the remote receiver to allow the user to buy the desired product. The telecom network used to link the user input device to the remote apparatus may also include a 900 number billing system for assessing and collecting fees for use of the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,828, issued to Pendse, et al., discloses an on-line/information service system which is constituted with a caller management server and a number of on-line/information servers. The caller management server is equipped with multiple ports and complementary hardware/software, including a call management application, for managing multiple concurrent calls, which includes optionally validating the calls depending on whether services are provided on a callee or caller basis, assigning and connecting the calls to corresponding on-line/information service delivery environments on the on-line/information servers. The on-line/information servers are equipped with adequate hardware/software, including an on-line/information service manager application and a number of on-line/information service applications, to support multiple on-line/information service delivery environments. Each on-line/information service delivery environment is equipped with streamlined application sharing host services, thereby allowing an end-user PC equipped with streamlined application sharing client services to access on-line/information services provided by the on-line/information service applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,414, issued to Walker, et al., discloses a billing and collection system for enabling payment for a service provided over a data network by billing a customer for a telephone connection to a shared revenue billing network where the telephone connection to the billing network regulates access to the service provided over the data network, comprising: a data network including at least one user on-line service provider presenting at least one service for on-line access by a user with a user computer through the data network, a billing network and an access management computer for controlling access to the on-line service provider and billing the user for access to the on-line service provider, the access management computer communicating with the data network for enabling and terminating access to the on-line service provider through the user computer whereby the billing Network shares revenues for the telephone connection with the on-line service provider.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,512, issued to Tognazinni, discloses that digital delivery of receipts overcomes many of the problems associated with paper receipts. Digital receipts can be delivered over a proprietary or over an open Network such as the Internet. They can be uploaded to a smart card. They can be standardized in format to facilitate automated processing. An e-mail address can also be incorporated into a bank card or other machine readable and for automatic routing of the receipt to a payor's e-mailbox.
It is clear that these prior references do not teach or suggest the present invention, which invites the consumer to visit an interactive “transaction community” that provides the consumer with an interesting, creative alternative to traditional methods of debt presentment and resolution.